A cookie is:
A very small text file placed on your hard drive by a Web Page server. It is essentially
your identification card, and cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses. It
is uniquely yours and can only be read by the server that gave it to you.
A cookie's purpose is:
To tell the server that you returned to that web page.
How a cookie helps you:
It saves you time. If you personalise pages, or register for products or services,
a cookie helps the website remember who you are. Next time you return, it knows
to show you the information you requested.
If you want to control which cookies you accept:
You can configure your browser to accept all cookies or to alert you every time
a cookie is offered. Then you can decide whether to accept one or not.
If you're using Internet Explorer 6.0 and above:
- Choose Tools, then
- Internet Options.
- Click the Privacy tab,
- Click the Advanced Button.
- On the Advanced Privacy Settings choose the options you prefer.
A first-party cookie is one that either originates on or is sent to the Web site
you are currently viewing. A third-party cookie is one that either originates on
or is sent to a different Web site than the one you are currently viewing. A session
or temporary cookie is stored only for your current browsing session, and is deleted
from your computer when you close Internet Explorer. Some modern sites will ONLY
work with Session cookies Enabled.
If you're using Firefox:
- Choose Tools, then
- Options
- Click the Privacy tab,
- Set "Firefox will:" to "Use Custom settings for history". If "Accept cookies from
sites" is ticked, it will accept cookies from all sites, if you want to choose which
sites to allow cookies for, first untick this.
- Then click "Exceptions...". In the "Address of the web site:" enter "timeanddate.com"
(without quotes).
- Click "Allow".
- Click "Close".
- Click "OK".
If you're using Google Chrome
- Click the spanner icon on the browser toolbar.
- Select Options (Preferences on Mac and Linux; Settings on Chrome OS).
- Click the Under the Bonnet tab.
- Click Content settings in the "Privacy" section.
- Select one of the 2 options under Cookies:
- Allow local data to be set (recommended)
- Block sites from setting any data
If you're using Safari:
- Choose Preferences
- Click Security
- In the Accept Cookies section, choose how you want Safari to handle cookies. Click
the Help (question mark) button to see an explanation of the options.
If you're using Opera:
- Choose Settings
- Click Preferences
- Choose Advanced
- Choose Cookies
- Choose your option
- Click OK
How to see the code in a cookie:
Just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers.
The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that
gave you the cookie.
Warning - Do not use cookies on shared machines.
If you share your computer with other users and you save your login to a cookie,
then everyone else who accesses this website from your computer will automatically
login as yourself. The consequence of this is that they will see your contact details
and not their own. It is therefore important not to select "save login" under these
circumstances.
For more information about cookies, see Internet Explorer Help.